Sandra Backlund's life and fashin design - Coursework Example

SANDRA BACKLUND’S LIFE AND FASHION DESIGN 1.Introduction 2 2.Background information on Sandra Backlund 3 3.Backlund market level 5 4.Analysis of constructed textiles with Backlund’s collection 7 5.Reflective conclusion 10 6.References 11 1. Introduction Invented in the 19th century by Charles Frederick, the art of fashion and design has undergone several changes and challenges to be what it is today. The opening of the first fashion house in Paris in the wee years of the 19th century goes into history as one of the major factors that contributed to the growth and development of fashion and design. In the contemporary world, the application of natural beauty, design, and aesthetics to accessories and clothing as a way of decoration is common. Survival in the presently highly competitive fashion industry largely depends on a designer’s ability to produce unique designs that employ unique technologies or techniques. Since fashion and design are fundamentally influenced social attitudes and cultural dynamics, designing fashions that adequately meets the regularly changing consumer tastes, needs, and preferences has been a major challenge for fashion designers. The Swedish designer, Sandra Backlund, is one of the artists that have been able to survive the turbulent waves in the fashion and design industry. Her success is attributable to the fact that she designs clothes that aesthetically functional as well as pleasing to the customers. In her work, Sandra Backlund understands that people’s tastes for garments change with time, age, and occasion and has always incorporated these aspects into her products (Bubble, 2009). Consequently, Sandra Backlund has been able to showcase her designs in many international platforms including the IFS (International Fashion Showcase) often held during the London fashion week and sponsored by the British Fashion Council (Udale, 2014). Additionally, her ingenuity and creativity have been recognized by being awarded various international recognitions. Sandra Backlund stands out as one of the most interesting designers that fundamentally reflect the cultural notions in the contemporary world (Ryan & Art Institute of Chicago, 2012). 2. Background information on Sandra Backlund The Swedish designer, Sandra Backlund, was born in 1975 in Stockholm where she lives even today. While she wanted to be a hairstylist when she was about 10, her grandmother regular taught her how to knit. As she grew up, she always considered it a conscious decision to start what her mother often praised her of being excellently talented; handicrafts (Nessen, 2013). Additionally, she attributes the absence of fascinating fashion to buy as an adolescent as a key factor that motivated her to create her own clothes from the ideas taught by her grandmother (Bubble, 2009). Her desire to express herself artistically further motivated her to join the Beckmans College. In 2004, Backlund graduated from Beckmans College in Stockholm and later that year, sought financial assistance from friends and family to set up her individual eponymous label from where she has been working round-the-clock since then. After setting up the eponymous label in 2004, Backlund fully became exposed to the world of art winning many accolades thereafter. For instance, she was crowned the winner of the Grand Prix in the De Monde & Photographie in Hyeres international festival in France, and the British Fashion Council awarded her the NewGen sponsorship in 2009 as asserted by Battista (2010). In 2010, Backlund extended her success by winning the Swedish Elle Award. Backlund’s success left decriers and supporters flabbergasted. Despite the challenges she faced being in an industry that was previously perceived to be chauvinistic, Backlund sojourned on attracting the awe of the international fashion community. Various renowned designers sought her collaboration and Backlund willingly offered herself to help those already in the fashion business and those struggling to enter (Nessen, 2013). She collaborated with designers such as Emilio Pucci, Marc Jacobs, and Louis Vuitton in numerous woolen pieces. Apparently, Backlund's admiration all over was perceived by various event organizers as an opportunity to attract more clients into their events. In 2008, the Italian Fashion's Franca Sozzani selected her as a key representative in that year’s protégé project. She also featured in the Cittadelarte Fashion project in 2009 (Bubble, 2009). Backlund expanded her international influence in the fashion industry when she presented her leading solo collection in 2010 and later launched the production of her 3rd collection in the Summer of 2011. What’s more, Backlund attributes her delightful triumph to the materials she works with, the handcraft techniques, and everything that goes on in her life. She is captivated by all the manners in which one can highlight, garble, and renovate the ordinary silhouette with accessories and garments. The ability to cloth and unclothe different body parts and visualize the kind of design that will be appropriate for each part gives the much-needed inspiration. In an interview with Battista (2010), Backlund stated, “… the main inspiration is that constant fight to find a balance between all the natural contradictions in fashion, in a nutshell the beautiful and ugly part of this business”. Through this, Backland builds on traditions while at the same time displaying an autonomous approach that breaks down the hierarchies and provide different clothes that uses modern production skills that enable them to be in harmony with contemporary lifestyles. She has always been approaching fashion not as a tailor but as a sculptor (Simpson, 2013). 3. Backlund market level Backlund understands that fashion goes beyond the way people choose clothes to the way they live. To cope with the regularly changing technologies, Backlund’s knit wears are briskly changing from the traditional static criteria towards modern, dynamic, psycho-graphic, and lifestyle influences. These are major factors that have bolstered the success of her retail stores. She differentiates her knitwears from those of competitors by producing garments that have a strong surface appeal. The garments are soft, tactile, and fluid. Their highly malleable quality that sufficiently meets the consumers’ demands has been a major factor that has contributed to the success of her products (Reeve, 2010). Additionally, Backlund has been able to capture her ever-growing customer base by selling her knit wears as fanciful, cool, and comfy. As such consumers have always been willing to pay high prices for the knit wears as they have persistently believed that the products’ quality offers value for their money. Backlund has been able to satisfy different segments of the market by offering varied products whose pricing directly reflects the targeted consumer’s purchasing ability, interest, and predilection. Backlund has also been using new ideas and technologies that have enabled her business to bring newness in the brand and the market in general. Her products are highly sought after as many consumers presently believe that the company serves the best interests of the fashion community and is, therefore, willing and ready to clothe them in the most fashionable way. Customers feel that the products are the right alternative for them. Through utilization of modern production technologies, Backlund has been able to eliminate the slow fashion process involved in the fabrication of knitted fabrics. Her products are thus error-free despite being produced at a very fast rate (Bubble, 2009). Shops have been ordering for the different products including the crotched dresses, pool position, hand-knitted fashions, and headpieces from various stockists such as Luisa Via Roma, Colette, and Browns Focus (Reeve, 2010). While the profits enjoyed by fashioners were not the main aspect that inspired Backlund to open her own company, she is currently benefiting both financially and professionally by partnering with major retailers in the fashion and design industry. They have helped in redistributing her products to the point that any willing buyer can presently access the products without struggling. Moreover, customers have been making online orders and purchases. Utilization of e-commerce has enabled the business to grow beyond precincts. Backlund has recently adopted an expansionary market strategy in her latest collection. While still containing crotched clothes, Backlund decided to give her customers a positive surprise by bringing in knitted pieces as well. When launching the collection in 2011, Backlund admitted that since customers respect her work, they will perceive the incorporation of knitted pieces as her way of getting out of her comfort zone (Bubble, 2009). She, however, admits that despite the growth in magnitude of her local and international markets, she will continue not fully substitute her hand-knitted pieces with machine fabrics and knits since that is what differentiates her as a designer. Her conservation of her collage technique has enabled her to thrive in various markets despite the intense competition. She continues being a major player in the cycles of fashion through the provision of intriguing designs that impeccably addresses the market needs, demand level, and customer inclinations thus building a strong brand image that helps her surpass the short life cycle of fashion products. 4. Analysis of constructed textiles with Backlund’s collection Backlund's textiles are vibrant, architectural and sculptural. Her desire to embellish the female form has seen her produce fabrics that are warm and concurrently sci-fi (Simpson, 2013). She accomplishes this by constantly transforming fabrics as well as fluctuating some out of proportion. Traditionally, Backlund was working with heavy wood, paper, and wool. However, this has changed in the present days where she has started using copper wire and human hair. Sandra’s hand-knitted wool dress Backlund fuses ultramodern design with familiar tactile materials, a factor that has enabled her to transform knitwear into sculpture, and art that is magnificent. The fabrics are often organic and streamlined as they are designed during the knitting process. The fabrics often have a neutral color due to the combination of maroon, browns, solid beige, and browns. This reflects Backlund’s color palette (Reeve, 2010). What’s more, the textiles in her assemblages highlight the size of the body, real human hair, and surface dyed tones. The mishmash of metal yarns, frothy knitting, and openwork crotchet evident in Backlund’s collection, particularly the A/W 2007 (Ink Blot Test) collection, highlights the silhouettes of the human body (Bubble, 2009). The curves on the garments habitually match with the curvaceous bodies of many of Backlund’s customers. Crotched dress made by Sandra (The knitting is evident) Similarly, the 2010 collection portray the geometric design. The garments have boisterous pleated circles, folds, rigid wings, ribbed angles and grooved designs. These features work together to enhance the appearance of the garment when worn. However, the design is well-controlled not to overstress body parts that were not intended to be exaggerated. Unlike many designs that use fringes, embroideries, crystals and other forms of decoration to redress surfaces of garments, Backlund uses stitches that subtly manipulate the surface (Simpson, 2013). The design and exaggeration of some body parts is evident in the image below; Dress from Sandra’s 2010 collection. The In No Time dress showing overemphasis of burst The geometric design in Sandra’s women wear Consequently, the stitches replicate the soft eerie feathers that bolster the allure of the design. A clear exploration of the collection reveals that technical nylon and silk organza were the main fabrics used in producing the garments (Bubble, 2009). The technical fabric, though not technologically advanced, acts as a wind stopper material. This stands out as a major paucity in the fashion industry, an aspect that further differentiates the cloths. 5. Reflective conclusion From the above exploration, Sandra Backlund is one of the most successful fabric designers of our times. Her work is typically handmade and based on ingenious principles, a factor that makes it difficult for people to reproduce it. Her fabrics are brighter, lighter, and wearable, a significant aspect that attracts consumers. The pricing and distribution are perfectly well-thought of resulting in a better positioning of the products and a consequently a competitive advantage for the business. She seems to understand that contemporary consumers abhor walking into stores and boutiques and has in effect introduced online purchasing. Consumers from various parts of the world can easily buy the product (Reeve, 2010). It has become universally available to the extent that Backlund admits that her home area, Stockholm, hardly benefit from the fabrics as compared to people in Italy and France. Backlund experiences and growth gives me an outstanding understanding of the issues that designers face in their daily activities as they strive to gratify the regularly changing consumer needs, tastes, and preferences (Reeve, 2010). However, inimitability is a major aspect that can help a designer to succeed in the highly competitive field. The global market is ready to buy into anyone’s idea provided they are unique and beneficial; designers should, thus, market beyond their locality as the market is still very sensitive to new designs. 6. References Battista, A. (2010). Sandra Backlund is Back | Dazed. Retrieved from http://www.dazeddigital.com/Fashion/article/7566/1/Sandra_Backlund_is_Back Bubble, S. (2009). Sandra Backlund: Otherworldly Knits from Within | Dazed. Retrieved from http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/1523/1/sandra-backlund-otherworldly-knits-from-within Nessen, A. (2013). Interview: Sandra Backlund. Retrieved from http://contributormagazine.com/interview-sandra-backlund/ Reeve, J. (2010). Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys * Eco-Chic: The Fashion Paradox. Journal of Design History, 1(2), 124-236. doi:10.1093/jdh/epq017 Ryan, Z., & Art Institute of Chicago. (2012). Fashioning the object: Bless, Boudicca, and Sandra Backlund. Simpson, L. (2013). Sandra Backlund Interview - Forward Council. Retrieved from http://forwardcouncil.com/p/80/sandra-backlund-interview Udale, J. (2014). Fashion Knitwear. (Fashion knitwear.) London: Laurence King Publishing. Read More